100 on 1
by purplecat19
Summary: In which Merlin shows his true strength as the most powerful warlock to ever live… and for once, Arthur doesn't miss it.


**A/N: Alas, I own nothing. Enjoy!**

Merlin was mucking out the stables when the world ended.

Of course he was, Merlin thought dully, as he ran outside to the sound of screams. It was just his luck. He'd have to go save the world (or the kingdom, at least) covered in horse dung.

It was much darker outside than it should have been. There was smoke in the air, and rain was falling out of a sky that had recently been cloudless. Flashes of light were coming through the darkness. Merlin didn't understand what they were, at first, until he heard an accompanying spell, and realized it was battle magic. _Advanced_ battle magic.

So of course, Merlin ran towards the flashes.

He rounded the corner and skidded to a stop, dumbfounded.

An army of sorcerers. He was facing a literal _army_ of sorcerers.

They were marching across the bridge and into the courtyard, a hundred of them, two hundred. Merlin backed away slowly, looking for a place from which he could attack unnoticed. There was no way he'd be able to defend himself against _all_ of them if they saw him.

 _There!_

A smoking, overturned cart by the edge of the courtyard. He ran around it and crouched down, startling when he saw the half-burnt body. There was nothing he could do for the poor man. Merlin swallowed painfully and looked back at the sorcerers.

There were several knights attempting to attack the sorcerers from the sides, but they weren't making much progress. It was difficult to get in a jab at someone who could blast you away long before you were in sword's reach.

Merlin looked around again. It'd be better if he could attack from above, but that would require going into the castle and letting the sorcerers advance farther.

But that, of course, was when he saw Arthur, and his mind went blank.

The king was approaching the sorcerers head-on, sword in hand. His walk was determined, his expression grim. And Merlin knew instantly what Arthur intended to do.

He saw it playing out in his mind, Arthur stopping in front of the sorcerers, him and the leader exchanging words, Arthur attempting to negotiate for peace, the sorcerers refusing, Arthur getting into a fighting stance knowing he would die, and the sorcerers blasting him to bits.

He hardly had time to process what he was doing before his legs were moving, placing him between Arthur and the attackers. Whatever happened next, he hoped Arthur could forgive him.

To his surprise, the sorcerers slowed their pace. Some looked shocked, but almost all were some level of gleeful.

"Merlin," Arthur hissed from behind him, "what the hell are you doing?"

"Saving your royal backside, as always," Merlin quipped.

"Merlin, come on-"

"No." Arthur was trying to push him out of the way, but Merlin's feet were rooted to the ground. He needed to do this. He had also never felt his own mortality more consciously than he did now.

"Well, well, well, who is this, who shows such loyalty to the king?" The leader stepped forward, a man with long braids down his back and leather armor covering his body. The glint of magic shone in his eyes.

"If you know anything about King Arthur, then you know who I am." Merlin stepped towards the sorcerers, leaving Arthur behind him.

"Now wait-" Merlin silenced Arthur with a twitch of his fingers. He could hear the king's outraged gasp, but he froze Arthur's feet to the ground before he could move forward. Arthur no doubt thought the sorcerers were controlling him, but he'd figure out the truth soon enough.

"I'm sorry," Merlin murmured softly back to him.

The lead sorcerer's eyes were calculating, darting between Merlin and Arthur as if trying to confirm a theory. The other sorcerers had begun whispering amongst themselves.

" _You_ are Emrys?" the lead sorcerer guffawed finally. "Well, we were expecting him to show up, but we didn't think he'd be so…" the sorcerer titled his head at Merlin, "gangly."

"I am Emrys," Merlin confirmed, "and I suggest you leave now. I do not wish for anyone else to die here tonight. There's been enough destruction in the past twenty or so years, wouldn't you agree?"

The sorcerer was shaking his head. "The Pendragon line must be extinguished. They are at fault, they are the ones who have brought all this death and destruction down on our kind. And yet you side with them? No, we must get rid of them. We must be free."

"Arthur will build a better world, a world where no one has to live in fear. I don't just believe that, I know it. But you must give him time. Change does not, _should_ not, come instantly, and if it does it brings only despair with it."

"You're wrong, Emrys. But enough talk. We have a kingdom to conquer!" With that, they attacked.

The first thing Merlin did was move Arthur behind a column, where he'd be out of the direct line of spell-fire. The second thing Merlin did was close his eyes.

The third thing Merlin did would be remembered by those who witnessed it as the single most powerful piece of magic they had ever seen.

Every single attacking sorcerer froze in place. Every single spell flying at Merlin froze in midair. Every single drop of rain hung suspended above the ground.

Merlin opened his eyes. He felt as if he were walking on a length of twine suspended miles in the air, and that the slightest shift in his balance would send him tumbling into oblivion, breaking the spell.

He could see Arthur out of the corner of his eye, standing by the column, dumbfounded as he took in the scene. He knew his eyes must be golden and tried not to think about how Arthur was taking this, because that seemed like an excellent way to lose his hold on the spell.

Instead, he focused on the raindrops. The ones already falling drifted gently to the ground, creating what looked like a layer of dew. Overhead, the clouds began to clear.

Next, the spells. Merlin walked to each and every one, and, one a time, surrounded them in shining golden bubbles. Once each was encased, he let them all fly. The spells hit the barriers of their bubbles harmlessly, and the bubbles popped, leaving nothing behind.

Merlin found the leader of the sorcerers and moved to stand in front of him. The man's eyes were the only part of him that could move, and they were wide in awe and terror alike. He considered the leader for a moment.

But it shouldn't be his decision alone. With a deep breath and a fluttering heart, he turned to Arthur.

Arthur was watching him with something like trepidation in his eyes. But there was something else there too. If Merlin wasn't fooling himself, it looked almost like pride.

"Arthur," Merlin finally said, and the word sounded strange out loud, in a world that had gone so silent so suddenly. "What do you want to do with them?"

Arthur took a moment to find his words. "Can you – what can you do with them?"

Merlin shrugged. "Anything."

Arthur took some time to process that answer, which would've been fine with Merlin, but he could feel his concentration slipping, his magic tiring. He was starting to get light-headed. He needed to do something, and do it fast.

"Let's – let's put them all to sleep and restrain them." Arthur's voice was unsure in ways it rarely was, and Merlin swallowed down his fear. "Is there – is there a way to make sure they won't escape when they wake up?"

Merlin nodded. He sent out one final pulse of magic, and all the sorcerers dropped to the ground, unconscious. Merlin didn't realize he had nearly followed them until he opened his eyes to see Arthur leaning over him, concerned.

Arthur pulled him into a sitting position. Merlin's limbs felt weak and his head spun, and he groaned. When Arthur didn't say anything, Merlin glanced up at him. The king was staring at him, and it was unnerving. The silence dragged on. "Say something," Merlin pleaded finally.

Arthur looked away, at all the bodies surrounding them. "Merlin, I – what could I possibly say?"

"Are you angry?"

Arthur looked back at him. "For saving the kingdom? I'm just… shocked. This is… this is new ground for me, you know."

"It's not the first time you've seen magic used for good," Merlin said quietly.

"No," Arthur agreed. He met Merlin's eyes. "But it is the first time I've seen it used so… peacefully in a situation so volatile."

"I didn't want anyone to get hurt," Merlin whispered. He felt as if the words Arthur said were a lifeline he was clinging to, and that any moment the lifeline might be cast away. He was finding it difficult to tell what Arthur was thinking, and the uncertainty was eating away at him.

But now Arthur's eyes were full of pride, and trust, and relief, and before Merlin knew it Arthur was hugging him so tightly he thought his ribs might crack. But it didn't matter, because the lifeline was being reeled in, he was being lifted back on the boat. He felt the sudden warmth of the sun on his back as it broke through the last of the clouds, and he smiled.

"Don't – don't _do_ that again like… like that. I thought I was about to watch you die." Arthur's voice was strangely raspy, and Merlin's chest tightened.

"Sorry," he muttered against Arthur's shoulder. "Can't make any promises though." He heard Arthur sigh, and was glad he understood it was pointless to argue.

Arthur finally pulled away. "So, is that the kind of thing you learned while cleaning Gaius' leech tanks? Or are there some other things I should know about?"

Merlin laughed. "First thing you should know is I've saved your pratty backside more times than I can count. Second thing you should know is that I think I'm going to pass out soon, for real this time, so I think the third and fourth and five-hundredth thing will have to wait."

Arthur smiled. "All right, let's get you up to Gaius' then. But once you wake up, you're going to tell me _everything._ "

Merlin vision was starting to fade out, but he got in one last comment. "Assuming your pride can handle it, king clotpole."

The last thing he heard before the darkness claimed him was, _"Merlin!"_

 **Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Please review!**


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